Lost Horse Saloon

Marfa. The breakwater. Is it the end of the line? Or the start of a new frontier? A dying way of Texas life, drowning in the art and money and cubist new construction growing like weeds from the rugged land? Or something new and different and exciting? A bold path forward, blooming from the desert like a fever dream made real.

The thoughts come fast and easy walking here in the dark of night, quiet on all fronts and the burning, ageless gaze of a thousand stars hanging in the bottomless sky. But walk in the right direction and you'll start to hear signs of life. First some loose echos, then the wake of guitar strings, then the laughter of revelers just around the corner. And there's a good chance you'll end up at the Lost Horse Saloon, a keystone of this rapidly changing town.

Great bars bring people together. At the Lost Horse Saloon, you can just as easily chat it up with a construction worker as a Palm Springs art dealer. A clean, no-frills joint beckoning passersby with its neon "BEER" sign, the Lost Horse is where people from all walks of life grab a seat at the end of the hot day.

But it almost didn't survive the pandemic. Things looked pretty bleak when long months of COVID protocols sucked the coffers dry. The previous owner, Ty Mitchell—an eyepatch-toting cowboy straight out of central casting who has appeared in films such as 'True Grit' and the upcoming 'Killers of the Flower Moon'—was, sadly, planning on selling off the joint. Fortunately, restaurateur Michael Shaddox swooped in to expand the food offerings and keep this storied watering hole afloat. Back pats all around.

The Lost Horse feels a million miles away from anywhere. It's the kind of place where you'll put your ear to an empty glass and it'll tell you to leave your old life behind. It's a purveyor of dangerous thoughts and unwise schemes. Visitors beware, for those who enter here are wont to bask in the raging bonfire of their abandoned plans. Maybe that's exactly what you're looking for—you just don't know it yet.